Stressful experiences stimulate the release of cortisol, commonly known as the "stress hormone." Participants assigned to the stress group held a hand in ice-cold water, which raised cortisol levels, particularly among female participants. No participants were using hormone birth control.
According to Lighthall, future research might use neuroimaging to explore how the brain processes stress or examine whether psychological stress, such as anticipating giving a speech, would yield results similar to the physical stress manipulation used in this study.
SOURCE: PLoS One, July 1, 2009
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